5 Things Your Insurance Adjuster Won't Tell You About Roof Inspections

Insurance adjusters are not villains. Most of the ones we work with in Las Vegas are hardworking, decent people doing a stressful job. But they have a boss — the insurance company — and that boss pays them to close claims efficiently, not generously. There are things they are not going to volunteer during a 40-minute inspection of your roof. This guide is what we wish every homeowner in Henderson, Summerlin, and the rest of the valley understood before the adjuster rings the doorbell.

1The adjuster works for the insurance company, not you

This sounds obvious. It is not obvious in practice, because most adjusters are friendly, professional, and genuinely helpful. That's the job. A successful adjuster builds rapport, explains the process clearly, and makes you feel taken care of. None of that changes the reality that their performance is measured on how cleanly and cheaply they close claims.

Two specific implications:

• The adjuster's "scope of loss" is their opening position, not a final offer. In Nevada you have the right to dispute, supplement, and appraise.
• If the scope looks thin, it's usually because something was missed or deliberately left off — not because the damage wasn't there.

You are allowed to have your own advocate on the roof at the same time. A licensed Nevada roofing contractor — or a public adjuster, who works for you on a contingency — can make the difference between a $4,500 scope and a $22,000 scope on the same roof.

2They are paid to finish your inspection in under an hour

Field adjusters in the Las Vegas market typically carry 4 to 8 inspections per day during storm season. The math on their day does not allow for a thorough, methodical roof inspection. The shortcuts that result:

• Partial roof walks. Adjusters often only inspect the slope that's visible from the ground, plus the one slope they can reach easily from the ladder. On a complex cut-up roof in Anthem or Inspirada, they may never walk the back slopes.
• Minimal chalk marks. The industry standard is a 10x10 test square per slope, marking every hit. In practice we routinely see adjusters mark 4 to 6 hits per slope and move on.
• Drone-only inspections. Some carriers increasingly rely on aerial imagery. Drone inspections miss soft-metal damage (which is usually ground-level), and they miss cracked tile and bruising that only shows on foot.
• Ignoring secondary damage. Attic staining, ridge vent damage, soffit damage, HVAC fin damage, and interior water staining often go undocumented because they weren't in the adjuster's original scope.

The fix is to be there. Better yet, have your contractor there. Point things out. Walk with them (if safely possible). Keep a polite, collaborative tone — but make sure everything gets documented.

3The first scope of loss is almost always incomplete

When your scope of loss arrives (a few days after the inspection), read every line item. The items most commonly missing on initial Las Vegas scopes:

• Drip edge replacement. Nevada code requires new drip edge on re-roofs. Many initial scopes omit it.
• Ice and water shield / high-temp underlayment. Required in valleys and around penetrations per current IRC.
• Permit fees. Clark County, City of Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas all require permits. Adjusters frequently forget to add the permit line item.
• Satellite dish / solar detach-and-reset. If you have any rooftop equipment, it has to come off and go back on. That's labor and specialized work.
• HVAC jack replacement. When a rubber HVAC collar is torn off during tear-off (it almost always is), it needs replacement.
• Code upgrades. If your home predates current code, Ordinance and Law coverage may pay for code-compliant materials. Many adjusters won't bring it up unless you do.
• Matching tile or shingle. If a discontinued color cannot be matched, many Nevada policies owe full replacement of the affected slope or more.
• Debris disposal and dumpster fees. Often included at a generic rate that falls short of actual Las Vegas dump rates.
• Overhead and profit. On claims involving 3+ trades, many carriers owe 10% overhead + 10% profit on the claim. This is often missing from the initial scope.

Supplementing a claim — formally requesting the carrier add missed items after the scope is issued — is normal, legal, and expected. A reputable contractor will help you draft supplement requests with supporting photos and estimates.

4"No damage" doesn't always mean no damage

Adjusters sometimes deliver a "no damage found" verdict that doesn't match what you or your contractor saw. Common reasons for a false-negative denial:

• Lighting. Hail bruising shows up best in raking morning or late-afternoon light. A midday inspection in flat Las Vegas sun can hide legitimate bruising.
• Wrong slope inspected. Hail travels with the wind. If a storm cell hit from the southwest, the north and east slopes may be largely untouched while the south and west slopes are destroyed. An adjuster who only inspects two slopes may miss the damage entirely.
• Drone fatigue. Aerial-only inspections routinely miss bruising on grey, weathered asphalt shingle. The contrast is gone in photos.
• Age-related denial. If your roof is 18+ years old, some adjusters will default to "wear and tear" as the cause of visible damage — even when there's a documented storm date.

If you get a denial that feels wrong:

1. Request the denial in writing, with photo documentation.
2. Ask for a re-inspection, in writing, with your contractor present.
3. If the second inspection still denies, invoke the appraisal clause in your policy or consult a Nevada public adjuster.
4. Ultimate escalation: file a complaint with the Nevada Division of Insurance.

5Signing the check doesn't close the claim — but cashing it almost does

The biggest financial mistake we see in Las Vegas is homeowners who cash their first settlement check and assume the roof project is funded. Two problems with that:

• ACV vs. RCV. Most policies pay actual cash value (ACV) first — the depreciated value of your roof. Only after the work is completed and documented do you receive the depreciation recovery check. If you cash the ACV check and never complete the work, you lose the depreciation.
• Mortgage company co-payee. If you have a mortgage, the insurance check is usually made out to you and your lender jointly. Lenders disburse in tranches as work is completed. You cannot just deposit that check — it has to be endorsed and managed correctly.

Supplements for missed items are much harder to file once the original scope has been fully paid and the project marked complete. Always finalize the scope conversation before the work starts, not after.

Questions every Las Vegas homeowner should ask the adjuster

Write these down and ask at the end of the inspection:

1. "Which slopes did you walk, and which did you only view from the ladder?"
2. "Did you find damage on every slope, or is the damage limited to specific slopes?"
3. "What is the cause of loss you're assigning — hail, wind, wind-driven rain, or a combination?"
4. "Are you including code-upgrade items under Ordinance and Law coverage?"
5. "Are you including overhead and profit on this claim?"
6. "When will I receive the written scope of loss?"
7. "How do I submit a supplement if my contractor identifies missed items?"

Write down their answers. Follow up by email to create a paper trail.

When to hire a public adjuster

Public adjusters are licensed in Nevada and work for you, the homeowner, on a contingency of the claim (typically 8 to 15% of the settlement). Worth considering if:

• Your claim has been denied outright but you have real documented damage.
• Your scope of loss is dramatically lower than contractor estimates.
• Your carrier is slow-walking the claim past 60 days without clear reason.
• You're overwhelmed and don't have time to manage the back-and-forth.

Not worth it if your scope looks reasonable and the claim is under $10,000 — at that size, the contingency eats too much of the settlement.